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Lonesome Luke
Also known as When the Lion Roared in the USA
(1915) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: (unknown)
Mittenthal Film Company production; distributed by Pathé Exchange, Incorporated [Starlight Comedies]. / Scenario by Tad Dorgan (Thomas A. Dorgan). / Released 7 June 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Website-Lloyd reports that this is not a Harold Lloyd film, as is generally accepted. Dorgan sold this scenario to Pathé before the Rolin “Lonesome Luke” films were released, and the script was given to Mittenthal. The film’s title was changed to When the Lion Roared and the character renamed “Lazy Luke” to avoid confusion with the Roach Pathé films.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Judge Spuff, seeking re-election, decides to get the support of the people by treating them to an animal show. On the night of the big show, the opera house is packed with people waiting for the curtain to go up. Behind the scenes, the animal keeper falls asleep and Bruno the Cinaman Bear starts on a tour of inspection. Time comes for the curtain to rise. Judge Spuff is hard put to it to provide the promised show. Lazy Luke, spending his leisure time in a county cell, hears of the Judge’s difficulty. He proclaims his willingness to make up as a bear and frolic with the lion, when he is assured of the lion’s harmlessness. For his part of the job he will get his freedom plus a $10 bill. Luke gets into the bear skin, the curtain goes up, and the audience nerves itself for sensations. It gets them. This “decrepit” lion roars as Luke is about to enter its cage, and Luke’s courage vanishes out the back door. Luke follows. The crowd becomes panicky, and Judge Spuff sees his political career vanishing down the street with the fleeting “bear.” Stew Pidd, the police force starts in pursuit Luke, as a bear, finds he has entree to the best homes in town. After frightening a spooning couple into hysterics, he ascends to an attic, where he hopes to get some rest. But it’s no use. He climbs into a bed already half occupied by Dina, the housemaid, who doesn’t run much to bears. Quite the contrary. She makes an astounding leap from her window, just as Stew Pidd arrives on his bear hunt. An awful battle ensues, until Stew Pidd sees a bottle of “courage” labeled Geneva Gin. They forsake hostilities for “the greater love,” and are found later by the fearless hunters, locked in close embrace.
Survival status: Print exists in the UCLA Film and Television Archive film archive.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 25 November 2022.
References: Braff-Short n. 13272; Reilly-Lloyd p. 17 : Website-IMDb; Website-Lloyd.
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